by Valia Lind
And with every little thing he does, I trust him less instead of more. There's a plan in every move he makes. I have no idea where my place is in all of it. He said the northern part of the state is a good place to hide. Maybe it's a good place for me to get lost.
Somehow, our flight leaves in the next thirty minutes. People are already boarding when we get there. I'm not sure I understand how Derek has this all planned out to a T, but I appreciate his skills. This is the kind of planning I strive to achieve.
We settle into our seats, right in front of the first-class barrier. I'm at the window. Derek is in the middle seat, which puts his body in close proximity to mine. I really need to stop noticing such insignificant things, but it's getting more difficult the more time I spend with him. Never mind that I'm planning an escape in the back of my mind. Apparently, I can multitask like a pro.
Derek stows my backpack overhead before settling back down. I try not to stare at the way his shirt rides up over his stomach, but I think I have a problem. It's the only thing I can think about now. Turning to stare out the window, I focus on counting the seconds in my breaths. Inhale. Exhale.
Get a grip, Avery.
I'm all over the place, to be honest, and I have no idea what to do about it. Julian would say I need a release.
The moment I think of him, I sober up. His death is on my hands. I will never not think that, and I will never not feel responsible. He befriended me when I had no one. He let me practice my self-defense skills on him, enough to be able to hold my own for a month on the streets. And what did I do to repay him? I got him killed.
"Whatever you are thinking, stop." Derek's voice penetrates my thoughts, and I turn to find his face close to mine. My eyes zero in on his lips before snapping up to see his expression. There's a mischievous gleam in his eye that is so staple for fae that it reminds me to put my guard back up before I lose myself. Even though his glamour seems to have no effect on me, I'm not about to broadcast that to him. Not yet at least. It’s another one of my superpowers. But he’ll probably find out soon enough.
"I can think whatever I want to think," I say, going on the defensive. Because this is easier. This keeps us in our corners. He exhales. I think it might be something close to a laugh, but the sound doesn't come.
"You should be careful not to think too much."
"I always think too much," I snap, rising to the challenge.
When I first went to Thunderbird Academy, I was unsure of myself. That's typical for any teenager changing schools their senior year. Or any teenager, ever. It's our job to be unsure and then find ourselves. At least, that's what I’ve always thought.
But finding that book and running for my life has taught me the only person I can trust in this life is myself. It's useless for me to doubt who I am, forget the fact that I barely know who that is. The magic is new, but also my own powers are on a sabbatical of sorts. I've taken risks. I've fought hand to hand, and I’ve threatened magical creatures with a knife. If anyone asked where I saw myself my senior year, it wouldn't be here. But I adjusted and I learned.
So, if that makes me harsh or too different than who everyone expects me to be, then too bad.
I can't keep cowering.
I can't keep pretending.
Derek gets to see the new and improved Avery.
I make that decision here and now.
"That will get you in trouble one day," he says. At first, I think he means my realization. Then I realize he's talking about my thinking too much statement. I smirk.
"It already has and look how that turned out."
This time, I'm almost positive he chuckles, but the sound is swallowed by the loudspeaker before I can truly enjoy it. Ugh, I shouldn't be enjoying anything about him.
Brain, get in line. Or better yet, take first place.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our cabin. We are pleased to have you fly with us this afternoon."
As the flight attendant makes the necessary announcements, I turn back to the window and tune him out. The only part I hear is when he says the flight is about an hour long.
Sitting back more comfortably, I decide to ignore the fae next to me for the duration of the flight. Already, he occupies much more of my head space than he should.
Instead, I create a mental list of all the questions I need answered if this partnership we have is going to work. If the opportunity presents itself, I'm still going to run. But as it stands, I don't think I'll have an opportunity anytime soon. Instead, I have to figure out how to make this work. To my advantage and to my advantage only.
Maybe I'm a little bit all over the place, but this is life. My life. I have to figure out how to make sure I stay alive.
Chapter 8
The plane lands with no issues. After disembarking, we head straight for a car rental. I would ask him how he knows where everything is, but that would just waste time. He seems to be giving me the silent treatment, just like I've been giving him.
It doesn't take long for Derek to glamour us a car. I feel a bit guilty since we keep taking advantage of these places and not paying a dime. I wonder if there's a way for me to pay them and the airline back for our free ride. Not that I actually see a way of doing so, but it's a nice thought.
When the attendant takes us to our car, I smile. It's a Toyota 4Runner, a four door SUV. It’s something I would totally get myself if I was living in the human world permanently. I like the way it looks and the way it rides. I took one across three states when I was on my way to Arizona. This one is dark red, almost maroon color, and I'm a fan.
"You like it?" Derek asks when we're inside the vehicle. Not wanting to give him the satisfaction, I shrug. He doesn't comment further, turning the car on and pulling out.
This area is so different from the city. It looks like we've traveled to a completely different part of the country instead of an hour north. The trees here cover the majority of the land, standing tall and strong. There are mostly evergreens with a few other varieties blending in.
It looks more like the area where I grew up, a small town surrounded by a vast forest. Magical communities are often in places like these. Because our magic is so strongly connected to nature, it helps to be near it. Even though my own powers have been weird lately, I can feel them waking up, as if they're finally where they want to be.
That isn't to say there aren't witches and shifters and all kinds of supernatural creatures in big cities. I mean, I just came from a city that was full of them. But my magic is happier here. I can already tell.
We get on the freeway, heading north. Derek hasn't spoken again, and I'm okay with it. I glance at him out of the corner of my eye, his gaze focused on the road in front of him. Sometimes when I look at him, I see a teenage boy, not much older than myself. But other times, it's like he's a century old. Which wouldn't surprise me. Fae can live for generations.
"How old are you?" I ask before I can stop myself. He glances at me with that very fae expression, and I almost take the words back.
"Does it matter?" he replies, turning back to the road.
"I would like to know."
"Not as old as you would think," he says, and then falls silent again. I give him a few minutes to figure out if he's going to say anything else. When he doesn't, I roll my eyes.
"We can't exactly get to the middle ground if I'm the only one trying."
That gets his attention again, briefly, and I swear the corner of his lip turns up in amusement.
"I don't remember you being this feisty before."
"You only met me briefly, and if my memory serves right, I blasted you across the room and kicked you in the stomach before I jumped out of a window. Not feisty enough for you?"
This time he does chuckle, and I refuse to admit that I like the sound. Absolutely refuse it.
"You really have come into yourself over the last few weeks," he states, disarming me with that simple statement. He doesn't get to know this about me. That's something personal, something that I
should realize about myself and no one else. Maybe besides my parents. But not him. Not when he's still my enemy.
"A girl's got to do what a girl's got to do," I say, turning to stare at the window. There are a few beats of silence before he speaks up again.
"What did I say?"
Typically, there would be a tone of something in that question. But there's no emotion behind Derek's. He's just asking, like he would ask anything else. Maybe fae simply don't understand simple emotion. Or maybe he's just really good at hiding any trace of his.
"Nothing."
"I've been told that word doesn't mean the same to you as it would to me."
At that, I laugh. A full laugh that I feel all the way in my belly. Derek's head turns toward me. As he watches me, I see something unreadable in his eyes.
"Who taught you that? And give them a pat on the back for me." I'm still laughing because this right here is the most human thing I've heard him say. It makes him much more real to me.
Stop that. Immediately.
I can't think like that. Why do I have to keep reminding myself that I can't think like that? It's as if no matter how many walls I put up, he keeps breaking them down. And he does it without even truly trying. I have to find better defenses.
"Will you tell me then?" This time his voice is softer somehow, as if maybe, he actually wants to know. But I'm not sharing. I hit him with a question of my own.
"Where are we going? When you said you weren't kidnapping me to Faery, I didn't think you'd be kidnapping me anyway."
"You didn't?"
"Fine, I did. But I still want to know."
"That's your default, isn't it?" he asks as he turns the blinker on and merges onto another freeway. The small city grows distant behind us as he speeds, still going mostly north. I'm trying to stay aware of my surroundings as much as I can. It’s only because I studied maps of the whole state that I actually know where we are.
"I like being informed." I shrug.
"It's a good quality to have."
"So I've been told."
I don't actually dislike my need for information. But it did kind of get me into this mess. There's no going around that one. I don't offer up anymore, and we grow quiet once again. Those seem to be our two settings: constant bickering or complete silence. Not sure which one I prefer more.
"We're going to a cabin. There are a few places around here that are good and isolated." Derek breaks the silences a few minutes later.
"How do you know of it?"
"There are a few in every state. If the fae ever need a place to get away, there is always a spot open."
"Wait, this is one of your places?" All my internal alarms are going off. If he's taking me somewhere the fae reside, I might be in trouble. I know he said he wasn't handing me over, but that doesn't mean they can’t come pick me up.
"Don't worry. No one knows about this particular one. It… has precise barriers in place.”
I would question that further, but I'm freaking out a little. My eyes land on the car door handle. I wonder if I jumped, would I survive the fall? Not likely. We're going at least ninety.
"Avery." The way he says my name instantly makes me turn toward him. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."
The look we share is intense and heated and then he's looking at the road again. I remember to inhale, trying to wrap my mind around my emotions. I need to center myself. I already decided to be on my guard. This doesn't change anything.
But his statement? Somehow, it burrows into my heart, making me all kinds of confused.
I trust it. Unlike anything else about him, I trust those words.
When Derek said the cabin was isolated, he meant the cabin was very isolated. It takes us about forty-five minutes to reach a mountain and then we drive up it. The road is winding but beautiful. It feels like we're driving through a tunnel with walls created out of trees. They're so tall, I almost can't see the sky. For a moment, I get lost in the beauty of it. My life doesn't seem so bad being in this space of time.
Then, I remember who's driving.
When we finally reach the cabin, it's just as enchanting as I would expect a cabin in the woods to be. A large porch wraps around most of it, wooden and accented. It looks like something straight out of a good-feel movie. Charming. And inviting.
The trees surround it on every side. Once we park, I step out of the vehicle to inhale the rich woody smell. Closing my eyes briefly, I let my magic stretch out around me, giving it the much needed relief from being bottled up. It would be amazing to let it loose right here and now, but I'm not about to do any of that and put us back on the map. Reluctantly, I pull the magic back. After a brief hesitation, it curls back up, albeit a little more content now.
"Come on," Derek says, leading the way inside. We pass two rocking chairs. If those aren’t a staple of a cozy cabin, I don't know what is. The inside is just as cute as the outside. The floor plan is pretty open. There are stairs on the left leading up to a loft above. There is a large wall of windows up there with another set at the back of the house, past the kitchen.
"Wait, there's a lake here?" I make a beeline straight for the back. Pushing the double doors open, I step out onto another porch. Or the same one. It seems to wrap around the whole way.
The lake is beautiful, maybe fifteen yards away. It’s confusing too.
"I don't understand. How is there a lake here? There are no lakes in this area."
"Not any known to humans, at least."
Derek has followed me outside, now standing just two steps behind me. I turn, glancing at him over my shoulder. The smile on his face is the most genuine one I've seen. He's not looking at me. He's looking out at the water. Narrowing my eyes, I turn back to the view, perplexed by his attitude. It's almost as if he personally knows this place.
"You said this is one of yours? You meant personally?"
"Yes."
The whispered word ruffles the back of my head, but I don't turn. I didn't expect him to bring me somewhere that actually means something to him. But then again, this is how he would know it's safe. Maybe I can be safe here too, at least for the time being.
I want to ask another dozen questions about the lake, but for some reason, I decide against it. Maybe I want the magic of not knowing. It's not often I ask for that, but it can be beautiful. Like it is at this moment.
"Any other surprises?" I decide to ask instead, turning and walking past him back into the house. Now that I'm looking at it with fresh eyes, it seems to fit him somehow. Not sure why I'm thinking that. I don't actually know this fae. Not in any way that matters, and not enough for me to see him in a house.
"Maybe just one."
I meet his gaze then, and he gives me a small smile.
"You can practice magic here. We're, what's the phrase, off the grid?"
"Wait." It doesn't register right away. "Are you serious?"
"I am."
I'm not too sure what to do with that information, but the magic inside of me is instantly happy. It's what we've been waiting for. A place where I can let it loose and maybe figure out what's going on with it. Granted, that will be showing some vulnerability in front of Derek, but I don't care. My magic and I both need it.
"Next question," I say, feeling slightly lighter somehow. "What's for lunch?"
Chapter 9
It's so dark, I can hardly see. I raise my hand in front of me, but it's lost in the shadows. Turning in a full circle, I try to figure out where I am and how I got here.
The last thing I remember...
What is the last thing I remember?
My mind seems blank, as if I'm unable to access the storage.
A part of me wants to call out, to see if anyone is beyond my line of sight. But I'm smarter than that. If anyone is there, they're not friendly. Keeping quiet and still gives me at least some kind of advantage. But not much. If I'm in a place full of supernatural creatures, at least half of them can probably see in the dark.
Still.
Think, Avery. Think.
Take the problem and break it down into manageable sections.
I don't know where I am, but I do know I can't keep standing in one spot. That means I need to move. Slowly, I begin to do exactly that. Arm outstretched, I take small, measured steps, feeling out the space in front of me and below me. When my hand hits a wall, I'm not prepared.
For some reason, the space feels bigger than this, but I've only walked a few feet before running into a barrier.
Okay, next manageable section is what?
It's finding the other corners. Unless this is a wall that runs parallel to something else, it'll have a corner. Keeping my right hand on the wall, I outstretch the left one in front of me and begin making my way forward once more. After about a dozen steps, I hit the wall.
With my hand, I feel out for the next corner. Finding it makes me think I'm in a room. Obviously, the only way to find out is to repeat the process I just went through. For some reason, that idea leaves me feeling even more uneasy than the darkness. Not that I have a choice. I can’t just stand in one place and hope for a good outcome.
It takes me way less time than I anticipated to find all four walls. I am in a room. About ten feet by ten feet, if my calculations are correct.
And there is no door.
I ran my hand over the surface the whole time. I've also found no windows or any indents indicating there was once anything here. I'm locked in a pitch black, inescapable room. And I have no idea how I got here.
Plan.
I need a plan.
My mind is working overtime, trying to come up with a logical solution. My first instinct is to reach for my magic, but when I do, nothing happens.
The panic slams into me fast and hard. I'm left gasping.
Where is my magic?
